Sadiq talks to Big Issue about helping people in poverty

LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan has talked about how he wants to help people living in poverty if he wins another term in office.

Ahead of next week’s mayoral election, he spelt out his ambitious pledge to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2030.In an interview with the Big Issue magazine, Mr Khan was asked what he would do if he encountered someone shoplifting essentials like baby food out of desperation.

“That’s a situation that I’m afraid has increased in the last three years with the cost-of-living crisis. “What upsets me is the tags you have now, on nappies and baby foods, because of the issue that is in relation to somebody who is shoplifting.

“In the hypothetical case, I suspect I’ll take my wallet out, and I would pay for it.” He met Big Issue vendor, Sid, who sells the magazine in Waterloo saying he was “in awe” of the Big Issue’s work, adding: “I know John (Bird, founder of the Big Issue and crossbench peer) very well, but also coordinators, vendors and so forth. “Sid is somebody who has got dignity, self-esteem, and pride, why wouldn’t he? And what The Big Issue has done is allowed him to have those issues.”